This is one of those times that I didn’t get a say in lunch. I mean, I probably could have, but it was J’s mom’s birthday, so I just kept saying it was up to her.

Her first choice was the Limestone City Grill and Lounge in Palos Heights, but we didn’t check the hours. Once we got there, we found they didn’t open until four and it was just a little before two, so we had to come up with a Plan B.

J’s mom and step-dad came up with a few ideas before her mom remembered a place we saw after breakfast two days earlier.

Quigley’s Southside Irish Pub & Craft Beer Bar is in the same strip mall as Niko’s Breakfast Club on the corner of 111th and Pulaski in Oak Lawn. The big draw for J’s mom and I was the “Craft Beer Bar.” The craft beer industry in Illinois is miniscule compared the Michigan scene. It’s not common to find at least one or two crafts on tap in bars like it is here.

J called ahead to make sure they were open and they were. Quigley’s is a sports bar first and foremost and since both the White Sox and Cubs were playing, it would make sense that the TV’s were on and all the guys who play Sunday Morning “Church League” slow pitch softball were taking advantage of the wing and drink specials.

As the name implies, the bar is an Irish Pub. The decor is that dark, exposed wood that you associate with the Irish Pub theme. There are TV’s all over the place and an outdoor patio tucked in between the businesses.

I found a booth open sort of out of the way in the back of the bar area for the four of us an L. Both food and drink menus were already on the table, so we got to work on that while our waiter got a high chair for L.

We all decided on beer yet I was the only one who opted for something not readily available in Michigan. My choice was the Resistance IPA from Two Brothers Brewing out of Warrenville, IL. J got an Oberon, her mom a Two Hearted Ale, and her step-dad, a Miller Lite.

The menu is classic pub grub with Irish favorites. J’s mom and I both ordered the BBQ Bacon Angus 1/2 lb. Cheeseburger. The sandwich is fresh ground Angus beef topped with Guinness BBQ sauce, bacon, and cheddar cheese. J’s mom asked for light BBQ sauce and her sandwich medium well. She got the medium well, but there was still quite a bit of the thick, tangy sauce. My burger came out medium and a lot of the sauce. I found it quite delicious. The bacon was nice and crispy and the meat was perfectly pink and juicy. For the side, I went with the chips which were actually more like french fries than potato chips. I polished off my whole plate without a problem while J’s mom took half home for later.

J’s step-dad selected the Blackened Tuna Sandwich. The blackened Cajun tuna steak is topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and garlic mayo on a sesame seed bun. We didn’t really talk much about lunch for reasons I’ll explain in a minute, but his plate was clean when it got back to the kitchen.

While the three of us had a pretty good experience with our chosen meals, the only thing any of us will ever remember about Quigley’s is J’s sandwich. She ordered the Turkey Club Croissant. It’s a simple sandwich with smoked turkey breast, Jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and garlic mayo on a croissant. It sounds pretty delicious, but what came out of the kitchen was flat out disgusting. There was so much mayo on this sandwich is was inedible. J picked the sandwich up and the mayonnaise had disintegrated the bun. It was just pouring out the back as she tried to hang on to it. It’s not an issue of her not wanting the mayo. She did want the mayo, but not all the mayo they had in the kitchen.

Maybe there are some chefs or cooks out there that can explain to me why anyone would ever put that much of any condiment on a sandwich. What J got was a garlic mayonnaise sandwich with a little bit of turkey. We tried to scrape some of the mayo off and save the sandwich…and the waiter offered to have it remade, but at that point, J had lost her appetite…and just looking at it was making me nauseous.

Obviously, J’s sandwich was taken off the bill which still came out to a little over $50….but that does include three craft beers. If it wasn’t for the liberal use of condiments, I’d probably have a few more good things to say about Quigley’s. My sandwich was really good and they have a great craft beer selection. Unfortunately, I’ll never remember anything other than the mayo.